Udyogini A-36, Gulmohar Park, 2nd floor, New Delhi Delhi India 91-1141651175 mail[AT]udyogini.org www.udyogini.org Women Poverty, Gender, Social Entrepreneurship, Micro Enterprise Development, Enterprise Training VISION: We aspire to become a nationally and internationally recognized agency specializing in business development services for NGOs and poor women.
MISSION: Udyogini’s mission is to provide quality and appropriate business development services for the training and promotion of poor women as entrepreneurs.
Goal: Udyogini will increase the income of 10,000 poor households and create 1,000 women entrepreneurs by 2013.
ACTIVITIES:
A. Introduction of new products and services that promote sustainable microenterprises for women (i.e., that can develop entrepreneurs and through them the microenterprises for household increase).
1. Focus on taking on more projects that have a higher leverage – where they can impact a larger number of clients
Retailing of consumer goods through microentrepreneurs that we create will reach a large no. of clients)
2. Focus on the areas that it works on the field and be more strategic in the projects it accepts. This will play a huge role in building Udyogini’s brand both with clients and with the finding agencies
Integrated social enterprises i.e. those that have an economic and social value each being profitable in itself. So vertical integration and horizontal integration for a complete package and profitability. Vertical integration is supply chain and horizontal integration is clustering primary producers to receive needed services or products. So one cluster will receive all that it needs in services that are in enterprise mode (economic products that improve incomes and social products that reduce risk and vulnerability at the producer level). At the entrepreneur level all products bought and sold (whether economic or social) have a profit value.
3. Decide on a limited product portfolio and should work on being the best in that category (for example, does Udyogini focus on Jatropha, or are they specialized making market linkages for trade centers?)
Certain sub-sectors such as NTFPs across several states (already working in MP on this and doing lac and honey in other states—so we have an advantage in brand-building on this). Add conservation to this where we can demonstrate that by providing incentives to microentrepreneurs to create awareness among producers for conservation and we will have an innovation. Jatropha is part of creating market linkages for trade centers in order to increase producers’ household incomes so it is not contradictory to our focus.
4. Decide on a clear entry and exit strategy for all products that Udyogini takes up
Entry strategy is a microenterprise opportunity (not just a livelihood need) i.e. all livelihood needs are not microenterprise opportunities but we will take up only those livelihood needs which can be converted to microenterprises.
We pick up those opportunities that enables the creation of microentrepreneurs in a supply and retail chain (either for local markets or more distant markets but for the poor women). The primary point of contact for the producer/rural consumer is the woman entrepreneur in the village/slum or cluster.
Exit strategy is when we have created a supply chain where all parts of the chain are able to earn profit and we have registered a company that will serve the producers.
5. Explore working with more product partners (eg MFIs for loans, and companies for marketing produce, and for introduction of new products and services).
Eg.working with one company across several states to market their products through rural entrepreneurs (Shakti, MART).
B. Support for marketing, human resource development and finance
There are two levels of support:
BDS centers with their staff with these three functional responsibilities. These are core functions. Project staff are additional to this but who report to each BDS center.
Delhi HQ with their functional staff who provide support to the BDS center staff.
Actions:
1. Hiring staff in these positions at all locations
2. Assigning them their TORs
ICCO Netherlands, Ford Foundation, Misereor, DFID, NABARD, Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF) NABARD etc.
